Plane crashes while trying to land in Williamsburg airport, officials say

A single-engine airplane crashed while trying to land at the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport on June 11. (Charley Rogers)

4:30 p.m. update:

Two people were injured when a private plane crashed while trying to land at the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport on Saturday morning, officials say.

The pair were flying a Piper Cherokee plane into Williamsburg from Ocean City, Md. when the plane crashed about 100 yards away from the airport's landing strip, said Nikolas B. Kubli, an aviation safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The passenger of the airplane escaped the plane, which was upside down and leaking fuel, and called 911 around 9:40 a.m. The pilot, a man, was trapped inside the plane when James City County fire officials arrived on the scene at 9:46 a.m., the release states.

Both people were injured. The pilot was taken to Riverside Regional Hospital in a helicopter, while the passenger was driven there in an ambulance, according to the release.

The pilot is licensed to fly private, single-engine planes. He is expected to survive his injuries, Kubli said.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management responded to the crash to help with the fuel leak. The agency was not available for comment at the time of publication.

The airport is open for business.

2:40 p.m. update:

Two people were injured when an airplane crashed Saturday morning near the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport, officials say.

The crash occured in a wooded area about 100 yards south of the airport's landing strip around 9:40 a.m., according to a James City County news release.

The passenger of the airplane escaped the plane, which was upside down and leaking fuel, and called 911. The pilot was trapped inside the plane when James City County fire officials arrived on the scene at 9:46 a.m., the release states.

Both people were injured. The pilot was taken to Riverside Regional Hospital in a helicopter, while the passenger was driven there in an ambulance, according to the release.

The Virginia State Police and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management responded to the scene to help clean the fuel leak.

The Virginia State Police were not available to comment at the time of publication.

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After being closed due to the crash, the airport re-opened Saturday afternoon.